Fr. Ken Roberts Needs your Prayers

[ATman]

Priest accused of abuse still works with youths
Diocese vows action; aide says cleric to comply
11/13/98
By Brooks Egerton / The Dallas Morning News
Copyright 1998, The Dallas Morning News
A nationally known priest accused of sexual abuse has defied orders to end his
public ministry and not work with young people, a Dallas Morning News
investigation shows.
Dallas Catholic Diocese officials acknowledged the findings and vowed swift
action against the Rev. Kenneth Roberts, an author and multimedia evangelist
who has built an extensive Internet presence and last year started an online
club for young Catholics contemplating religious careers. He also has been
moderating a Catholic discussion group for America Online and hosting radio and
TV programs.
Dallas Bishop Charles V. Grahmann has demanded that Father Roberts stop his
Internet, TV and radio work immediately, diocesan spokeswoman Lisa LeMaster
said. She said the diocese is checking reports that he has celebrated public
Masses.
If the reports are verified, "a suspension could come as early as Friday," Ms.
LeMaster said Thursday evening. That would turn restrictions on his work,
implemented in the mid-1990s, into a ban on exercising any priestly powers.
Father Roberts, 68, declined to comment, saying by e-mail that he was suffering
from a high blood pressure attack. His spokeswoman, Ann Waters, said he had not
knowingly violated diocesan orders and earlier ended his far-reaching public
speaking career when told to.
"He desperately wants to serve the church," she said. "He'll be obedient."
Ms. Waters said that Father Roberts denies sexual misconduct allegations made
against him in the last decade by people in the St. Louis and Peoria, Ill.,
areas. He can't confirm or deny molestation allegations that date to his
late-1960s pastoral work in the Dallas area, she said, because he suffered from
alcohol-related blackouts and "temporary amnesia" then.
Dallas diocesan officials acknowledge making payments to two of Father Roberts'
male accusers. None of the allegations has resulted in civil or criminal
charges.
Father Roberts has been a Dallas diocesan priest since ordination in 1966 but
has operated, often unsupervised, from a suburban St. Louis base for most of
the time since then.
He was forced out of Fort Worth and Garland parishes in the late 1960s and went
to St. Louis for psychiatric treatment, former parishioners said.
Father Roberts has been a shining light to conservative Catholics around the
country, some of whom have seen the church's pedophilia crisis as the result of
liberalism and lack of obedience to the Vatican. The priest's latest book,
1997's Nobody Calls It Sin Anymore, urges readers to resist the devil with a
back-to-basics obedience of the Ten Commandments.
News that he has been accused of abuse "is going to be earth-shattering to a
lot of people," said Stephen Brady, president of a national group of orthodox
Catholics called Roman Catholic Faithful.
The group recently announced a campaign - named for St. Maria Goretti, a girl
canonized after a rapist killed her - to pressure U.S. bishops to disclose all
abuse claims they've settled.
Father Roberts has become well known for publicizing the Bosnian community of
Medjugorje, where pilgrims have flocked for years since some children reported
seeing visions of the Virgin Mary. He has produced audiotapes, videotapes,
books and magazine articles toward this end and has served as spiritual leader
to pilgrims visiting Medjugorje.
The Dallas Diocese says it has not contacted the various outlets associated
with Father Roberts' work.
The diocese says it made its first payment to a Roberts accuser in 1994,
providing $8,900 for therapeutic expenses to someone in the Archdiocese of St.
Louis. Officials would not discuss details of that case.
After that payment, diocesan officials recalled Father Roberts from St. Louis
and had him help out at Holy Family Catholic Church in Irving - his first
parish post in two decades. He was ordered to get permission for all public
speaking engagements and not to work with adolescents or men younger than 30.
Several months later, in late 1995, Bishop Grahmann granted Father Roberts a
medical retirement and further restricted his faculties. He was told to end all
public ministry, not to say Mass in public and not to administer the sacraments
except in emergencies, diocesan officials say.
That action came after a complaint by Stuart Douglass, who had been an altar
boy for Father Roberts at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Fort Worth. Earlier
this year, Mr. Douglass received a $30,000 out-of-court settlement from the
Dallas Diocese, which included Fort Worth parishes during Father Roberts'
tenure there.
Church officials in Dallas said they made no payment in connection with a third
abuse allegation, which dates to 1989 and the Diocese of Peoria. Parishioners
said Father Roberts spoke to Catholic high school students there at the time.
Father Roberts, a native of England, was abused as a child by a caretaker, his
spokeswoman said. He worked as an airline and ship steward before training for
the priesthood.
His connection to the Dallas diocese began on board the Queen Elizabeth, where
a passenger named Thomas Gorman - the late bishop of Dallas - gave him
encouragement. Later, the bishop agreed to sponsor him in seminary training.
Father Roberts spent about a year at his first parish job, in Fort Worth. Mr.
Douglass said he took him and other junior high-age boys on various outings,
including a camping trip complete with beer, and molested him for months.
Mr. Douglass said his mother knew he was uncomfortable about something, but he
couldn't bring himself to explain: "I didn't know what to say, and who would
believe me anyway? I was a kid."
Mr. Douglass said he ultimately showed his mother a pornographic movie theater
he had visited with Father Roberts. She complained to another priest, and
Father Roberts was transferred to Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Garland.
"The kids loved him so much that we couldn't find anything wrong with him,"
said former Garland parishioner Bob Striler. He and other members of his family
said they saw no evidence of sexual misconduct.
But something happened - church officials would never say what, Mr. Striler
said - and Father Roberts was removed from his assistant pastor's job within a
year. That silence led the Strilers to leave the Catholic Church.
Today, Mr. Striler urges Catholic leaders to come clean on the subject of
clergy abuse. Otherwise, he said, "the church is going to fall apart, piece by
piece, million-dollar settlement by million-dollar settlement."

Bishop suspends priest
Cleric accused of abuse may appeal action
11/14/98
By Brooks Egerton / The Dallas Morning News
Dallas Catholic Bishop Charles V. Grahmann on Friday suspended a nationally
known priest accused of sexual abuse, saying the Rev. Kenneth Roberts had
refused repeated orders to end his public ministry and not work with young
people.
Meanwhile, Mr. Roberts' cyberspace host has pulled the plug on his popular Web
page, which received up to 50,000 hits a day. The Bakersfield, Calif., company
said the priest hadn't disclosed abuse complaints or restrictions on his
activities that date to the mid-1990s.
"It was quite a shock," Catholic Online president Michael Galloway said. "I
feel very, very bad for everybody involved."
Bishop Grahmann's suspension decree means that Mr. Roberts cannot say Mass,
wear clerical garb or present himself as a priest in good standing. And "he
should not use the title 'Father,' in order to avoid confusion and
misrepresentation," said the Rev. Glenn "Duffy" Gardner, the Dallas Diocese's
No. 2 official.
Mr. Roberts' spokeswoman in suburban St. Louis said she had been deluged by
calls of support Friday, when The Dallas Morning News first wrote about the
accusations he faced. "He will always be Father Ken to most of the people who
know him," Ann Waters said.
She said he denied receiving repeated orders from the bishop and has always
tried to comply promptly and faithfully. Earlier, she said Mr. Roberts denies
some abuse accusations but can't confirm or deny others because of
alcohol-related blackouts.
Mr. Roberts may appeal his suspension to the Vatican, but "right now he feels
like a monastic life would be the best thing in the whole world," Ms. Waters
said. The Dallas Diocese has no plans to try to force Mr. Roberts to return to
the lay state, spokeswoman Lisa LeMaster said.
Ms. LeMaster said Mr. Roberts was warned in July, August and October to end his
Internet ministry, which featured a role as Catholic discussion group moderator
for America Online. His work for AOL - which didn't respond to requests for
comment Friday - also included founding a club last year for young members
considering a religious career.
Mr. Roberts' response to the warnings "was that he was working on it and that
it was hard to get stuff off the Web," Ms. LeMaster said. "Basically, he seemed
to be buying time."
That led Bishop Grahmann to give Mr. Roberts a deadline of Nov. 5, which Ms.
LeMaster said passed without full compliance. The bishop based his suspension
on that disobedience and on evidence uncovered by The News that Mr. Roberts had
been saying Mass in public.
One such Mass occurred in March in Marietta, Ga., where "Father Roberts had the
children in the congregation approach the altar and spoke to them about the
transfiguration of Jesus," according to an Archdiocese of Atlanta publication.
"He told the congregation to repent of their sins and change sinful behavior .
. . "
Mr. Roberts has been a Dallas diocesan priest since ordination in 1966. For
much of the last 25 years, he has operated an unsupervised ministry from the
St. Louis area. He went to Missouri for psychiatric treatment in 1968 after
being forced out of assistant pastor jobs at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Fort
Worth and Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Garland, former parishioners said.
Widely hailed as a charismatic speaker, Mr. Roberts has toured the nation
working with youth groups, led dozens of pilgrimages to overseas religious
sites and served as a radio and TV host. The former ship and airline steward
also has written several books, including the autobiography Playboy to Priest.
The Archdiocese of St. Louis said Friday that it barred him from functioning
there in 1994 "after two complaints were received of sexual misconduct from
incidents which reportedly occurred approximately 15 years before." Church
officials refused to elaborate.
In 1995, Mr. Roberts returned to work in the Dallas Diocese, which assigned him
to help out at Holy Family Catholic Church in Irving. It paid for one St. Louis
complainant's therapy and put some restrictions on the priest, telling him to
get permission for all public appearances and not to work with adolescents or
men younger than 30.
The diocese granted Mr. Roberts a medical retirement in late 1995 after
receiving a complaint from Stuart Douglass, who had served him as an altar boy
in Fort Worth.
"He has gotten away with this for years," said Mr. Douglass, who received a
$30,000 out-of-court settlement earlier this year.
Mr. Douglass said he suffered months of molestation as a junior-high student
before finally showing his mother an X-rated theater where Mr. Roberts had
taken him. Her subsequent complaint to another priest led to Mr. Roberts'
transfer to Garland.
Citing health reasons, Mr. Roberts canceled an appearance this weekend at
"Medjugorje Day - Pro-Life Day" in Villa Park, Ill. He was scheduled to sign
his latest book, Nobody Calls It Sin Anymore.
Officials with Our Sunday Visitor, the Indiana company that publishes his
books, declined to comment Friday. They said they hadn't known of the
accusations against Mr. Roberts and the limitations placed on his work.
The Eternal Word Television Network, which for years has carried programs
hosted by Mr. Roberts, also declined to comment. The Dallas Diocese has asked
that the network take his shows off the air.
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© 1998 The Dallas Morning News
Bishop suspends priest
Cleric accused of abuse may appeal action
11/14/98
By Brooks Egerton / The Dallas Morning News
Dallas Catholic Bishop Charles V. Grahmann on Friday suspended a nationally
known priest accused of sexual abuse, saying the Rev. Kenneth Roberts had
refused repeated orders to end his public ministry and not work with young
people.
Meanwhile, Mr. Roberts' cyberspace host has pulled the plug on his popular Web
page, which received up to 50,000 hits a day. The Bakersfield, Calif., company
said the priest hadn't disclosed abuse complaints or restrictions on his
activities that date to the mid-1990s.
"It was quite a shock," Catholic Online president Michael Galloway said. "I
feel very, very bad for everybody involved."
Bishop Grahmann's suspension decree means that Mr. Roberts cannot say Mass,
wear clerical garb or present himself as a priest in good standing. And "he
should not use the title 'Father,' in order to avoid confusion and
misrepresentation," said the Rev. Glenn "Duffy" Gardner, the Dallas Diocese's
No. 2 official.
Mr. Roberts' spokeswoman in suburban St. Louis said she had been deluged by
calls of support Friday, when The Dallas Morning News first wrote about the
accusations he faced. "He will always be Father Ken to most of the people who
know him," Ann Waters said.
She said he denied receiving repeated orders from the bishop and has always
tried to comply promptly and faithfully. Earlier, she said Mr. Roberts denies
some abuse accusations but can't confirm or deny others because of
alcohol-related blackouts.
Mr. Roberts may appeal his suspension to the Vatican, but "right now he feels
like a monastic life would be the best thing in the whole world," Ms. Waters
said. The Dallas Diocese has no plans to try to force Mr. Roberts to return to
the lay state, spokeswoman Lisa LeMaster said.
Ms. LeMaster said Mr. Roberts was warned in July, August and October to end his
Internet ministry, which featured a role as Catholic discussion group moderator
for America Online. His work for AOL - which didn't respond to requests for
comment Friday - also included founding a club last year for young members
considering a religious career.
Mr. Roberts' response to the warnings "was that he was working on it and that
it was hard to get stuff off the Web," Ms. LeMaster said. "Basically, he seemed
to be buying time."
That led Bishop Grahmann to give Mr. Roberts a deadline of Nov. 5, which Ms.
LeMaster said passed without full compliance. The bishop based his suspension
on that disobedience and on evidence uncovered by The News that Mr. Roberts had
been saying Mass in public.
One such Mass occurred in March in Marietta, Ga., where "Father Roberts had the
children in the congregation approach the altar and spoke to them about the
transfiguration of Jesus," according to an Archdiocese of Atlanta publication.
"He told the congregation to repent of their sins and change sinful behavior .
. . "
Mr. Roberts has been a Dallas diocesan priest since ordination in 1966. For
much of the last 25 years, he has operated an unsupervised ministry from the
St. Louis area. He went to Missouri for psychiatric treatment in 1968 after
being forced out of assistant pastor jobs at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Fort
Worth and Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Garland, former parishioners said.
Widely hailed as a charismatic speaker, Mr. Roberts has toured the nation
working with youth groups, led dozens of pilgrimages to overseas religious
sites and served as a radio and TV host. The former ship and airline steward
also has written several books, including the autobiography Playboy to Priest.
The Archdiocese of St. Louis said Friday that it barred him from functioning
there in 1994 "after two complaints were received of sexual misconduct from
incidents which reportedly occurred approximately 15 years before." Church
officials refused to elaborate.
In 1995, Mr. Roberts returned to work in the Dallas Diocese, which assigned him
to help out at Holy Family Catholic Church in Irving. It paid for one St. Louis
complainant's therapy and put some restrictions on the priest, telling him to
get permission for all public appearances and not to work with adolescents or
men younger than 30.
The diocese granted Mr. Roberts a medical retirement in late 1995 after
receiving a complaint from Stuart Douglass, who had served him as an altar boy
in Fort Worth.
"He has gotten away with this for years," said Mr. Douglass, who received a
$30,000 out-of- court settlement earlier this year.
Mr. Douglass said he suffered months of molestation as a junior-high student
before finally showing his mother an X-rated theater where Mr. Roberts had
taken him. Her subsequent complaint to another priest led to Mr. Roberts'
transfer to Garland.
Citing health reasons, Mr. Roberts canceled an appearance this weekend at
"Medjugorje Day - Pro-Life Day" in Villa Park, Ill. He was scheduled to sign
his latest book, Nobody Calls It Sin Anymore.
Officials with Our Sunday Visitor, the Indiana company that publishes his
books, declined to comment Friday. They said they hadn't known of the
accusations against Mr. Roberts and the limitations placed on his work.
The Eternal Word Television Network, which for years has carried programs
hosted by Mr. Roberts, also declined to comment. The Dallas Diocese has asked
that the network take his shows off the air.
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All is in Divine Order

ATman